Sif
}} Sif is a deity in the Norse pantheon, where she is the goddess of skill in battle. She is the wife of Thor, and mother of Uller and Thrud. Description Appearance and personality Sif is a slender, beautiful woman. Her hair is made of pure gold, crafted by the dwarves and enchanted to grow in place of her real hair, after the trickster god Loki cut off her original hair as a prank. Sif favors white and silver clothing. She typically carries her weapon, a longsword. Sif enjoys battle, and occasionally sends forays into the Blood War out of boredom. Sif is Chaotic Good in alignment. Titles Sif is called the Goddess of Excellence and Skill in Battle. She is also called Golden-Hair. Abilities Sif's skill with the longsword is unparallelled. Her skill in battle is such that none can sneak up on her, she strikes with unparallelled speed even for a deity, and she always strikes first. Her berserk rage can last for an hour, and she is not even winded afterward. Her strikes are exceptionally lethal to fiends. She can sense any battle involving at least five hundred people, and any battle in which one side is commanded by a woman. She can perceive anything within ten miles of her temples, followers, artifacts, or where any of her names or titles were spoken in the past hour. She can create magic weapons and armor at will, though she is more limited than other deities and cannot create truly legendary artifacts with this power. She can cast various spells, primarily those related to combat and weapons; they include animate objects, blade barrier, magic weapon, and power word kill. Portfolio Sif is a goddess of war and dueling. Less well known is that she is a goddess of excellence in all things, although her followers' primary focus is on excellence in swordsmanship. Worship Dogma Sif teaches a single virtue: the development of skill in combat. This contrasts with her husband Thor, whose followers pursue physical strength over technique. Those who pray to Sif before a battle may receive her blessing. In rare occasion she may attend a battle personally, and leaves a magical sword as a gift to those truly exceptional warriors. She may also confer a boon of increased combat ability upon a warrior, although this is rarely given, and no more than once in an individual's lifetime. Worshipers While the people of Midgard typically worship the Norse pantheon as a collective group, Sif is particularly followed by swordsmen and warriors of all sorts. She is revered by barbarians, fighters, paladins, rangers, weapon masters, and those who instruct others in the art of combat. She is the particular patron of young warriors. Contests between the followers of Sif and Thor are common. Those who favor ranged weapons instead follow Sif's son Uller. Sif is taken as a female name by the people of the Northern Reaches. Notable followers of Sif include Anja Raaven, a tiefling fighter famed for her speed and precision with a blade. Clergy The clergy of Sif are primarily female. Many emulate their goddess in appearance by dyeing a lock of hair blonde or braiding yellow ribbons into their hair. All of her priests are skilled warriors, chosen for their quick wit, physical aptitude and strength of personality. They hold those skilled with weapons in high regard. Unfaithfulness in marriage is strictly forbidden among Sif's clergy. Holy sites Sif's temples are fortified structures, like many of the temples dedicated to Norse gods. They contain training halls where Sif's priests train in dueling and the art of melee combat. Visitors are invited to train at the temple, but must first prove their ability in a duel with a priestess. Such duels are not lethal, and usually fought only to first blood or first fall. The priesthood of Sif have little respect for visitors who do not openly carry weapons, fools who do not know how to use the weapons they carry, or cowards who are unwilling to fight. Her temples often include dormitories for women who have been injured in battle or are escaping abusive relationships. Holy symbol Sif's holy symbol is an upraised sword. Favored weapon Sif favors the longsword. Relationships Family Sif is the wife of Thor, Guardian of Asgard. With Thor she has a son Uller, god of archery, and a daughter named Thrud. Loki claims that Sif is unfaithful to her husband, but Loki is a famed liar, and the Aesir do not believe his words. Enemies Sif has few known enemies, but will side against Loki and the giants at Ragnarok. Allies Sif is famously loyal to her husband Thor. She is friendly with Lugh of the Celtic pantheon. As a goddess of Asgard, she is likely to side with the Aesir of the Norse pantheon at Ragnarok. Artifacts Sif's weapon is a supremely enchanted keen longsword of speed. It is said to protect her from illusion. She wears a mithral armored shirt glamered to look like another garment, protecting her even when she appears to be wearing no armor. She carries a large mithral shield polished to a mirror finish, which can deflect arrows and deflect spells back at their caster. Sif's hair is not merely golden, but pure gold which grows from her head in place of her normal hair. The exiled Modrigswerg dwarves, cursed with madness, take credit for crafting Sif's magical hair. The semi-mythical Midgard dwarves are also credited with its creation. Realm Sif inhabits Thrudheim in Asgard, a mountainous area which she shares with her husband Thor. Their hall is named Bilskirnir, a grand building clad in oak and iron, and guarded by the most rowdy warriors in Asgard. Publication history Original D&D Sif is first referenced in . Basic D&D In , the dwarves who crafted Sif's hair are identified as the Modrigswerg, an ancient clan exiled in pursuit of forbidden lore and traffic with dark powers. AD&D 1st edition Sif appears in and . AD&D 2nd edition Sif is detailed in and the Planescape sourcebook . Sif appears in the story , where she is depicted as an archetypal nagging housewife. D&D 3rd edition Sif appears in . D&D 4th edition The Norse pantheon does not appear in D&D 4th edition. D&D 5th edition Sif is one of twenty Norse gods listed in the . Creative origins Sif appears in Norse myth. In the 13th century Prose Edda, Snorri states: : "No one is able to tell Sif's ancestry. She was the most beautiful of all women, and her hair was like gold." The Prose Edda tells the story of Sif's golden hair. Loki pranks Sif by cutting off her hair, but Thor threatens to break his bones unless he goes to the svartálfar (literally "black elves", perhaps synonymous with the dwarves and/or dark elves) and has them craft magical golden hair which will grow in its place. Loki convinces the dwarf Ivaldi's sons to produce the golden hair; not only this, but he wrangles the dwarves into a magic item crafting contest from which comes Odin's spear Gungnir, Frey's folding ship Skidblatnir, Thor's hammer Mjolnir, Odin's ring Draupnir, and Frey's golden-bristled boar. Sif also appears in the Poetic Edda. In Lokasenna, where Loki taunts the gods in turn, Sif offers Loki a drink of mead, hoping to avoid his insults: : "Hail to you now, Loki, take this drink I offer you of our good old mead. Do this, rather than find fault with me, alone among all the gods and goddesses." Loki replies: : "You would be unique, Sif, if you actually were wary and unwelcoming to other men. But I alone know how you were unfaithful to your husband Thor—and I was the one you slept with." "Sif's hair" is often used in Norse poetry as a kenning for "gold". Reception and influence In the video game Dark Souls, the name Sif is given to a sword-wielding giant wolf. References Category:Norse deities Category:Barbarians Category:Fighters